Cornyn Calls on Rep. Bobby Scott to Stop Blocking Child Abuse Prevention Bill

Recently in a conference call with Texas reporters, I called on House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott’s decision to not allow the Jenna Quinn Law, my bipartisan bill that would allow current grant funds to be used to train students, teachers, caregivers, and other adults who work with children in a professional or volunteer capacity on how to prevent, recognize, and report child sexual abuse, to go to the House floor for a vote this Congress. Excerpts of my remarks are below, and audio can be found here.

There are a lot of bills that have passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support that are sitting in purgatory in the House. One of those bills is the Jenna Quinn Law, my bill to help train teachers, counselors, and other school officials to identify the symptoms and signs of child sexual assault.

Despite the fact it’s passed virtually unanimously here in the Senate, Senator Hassan and I, along with Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, have sent a letter to Chairman Bobby Scott urging swift action be taken on that bill.

He responded to our letter and our outreach saying he will continue to hold it because he wants to add it to other more complicated legislative measures next year, but as we know, children that are stuck at home with their abusers during this pandemic don’t have the luxury of time.

So I hope Congressman Scott comes around, and if he continues to hold Jenna’s Law this Congress, we’ll have to start all over again next year, and I think that would be an unforced error.